Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE: RAD) today announced sales results for December.For the five weeks ended December 31, 2011, same store sales increased 3.6 percent over the prior-year period. December front-end same store sales increased 0.7 percent. Pharmacy same store sales, which included an approximate 177 basis points negative impact from new generic introductions, increased 5.2 percent. Prescription count at comparable stores increased 3.2 percent over the prior-year period.December sales were positively impacted by the New Year s holiday calendar shift. Including sales for the holiday period through January 2, December total same store sales would have increased 2.1 percent. Front-end same store sales would have been flat, pharmacy same store sales would have increased 3.3 percent and prescription count at comparable stores would have increased 1.1 percent.Total drugstore sales for the five-week period increased 3.3 percent to $2.644 billion compared to $2.560 billion for the same period last year. Prescription sales accounted for 64.5 percent of drugstore sales, and third party prescription sales represented 96.6 percent of pharmacy sales.Same store sales for the 44-week period ended December 31, 2011 increased 1.8 percent, consisting of a 0.8 percent front-end same store sales increase and a 2.3 percent increase in pharmacy same store sales. Prescriptions filled at comparable stores increased 0.7 percent over the prior-year period.Total drugstore sales for the 44 weeks ended December 31, 2011 increased 1.4 percent to $21.545 billion from $21.246 billion in last year s like period. Prescription sales accounted for 67.9 percent of total drugstore sales, and third-party prescription sales was 96.5 percent of pharmacy sales.News Provided by Acquire Media Corporation

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